


The Most Eventful Day

by afteriwake



Series: Anything Can Happen [10]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-19
Updated: 2014-03-19
Packaged: 2018-01-16 08:19:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1338523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the face of leaving London for an extended amount of time for a situation that could be dangerous, Sherlock and Molly decide that they would much rather be married before he leaves. Having a brother who is essentially the government comes in handy sometimes, Sherlock realizes, as Mycroft makes it happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Most Eventful Day

**Author's Note:**

> I decided since they don't do anything else in the typical fashion in this series they probably shouldn't get married in the typical fashion either. I had a lot of fun writing this. I just hadn't expected it to be quite as long as it turned out to be. Sorry?

Christmas came and went, and thankfully Molly felt better by the time the holiday arrived. Sherlock, Molly and Mrs. Hudson had spent the morning together, unwrapping presents and eating the breakfast Molly insisted on cooking. Sherlock had noted she was up early that morning, cutting the food herself. She had been so proud of herself as she did that and Sherlock couldn't help but grin. It appeared that she had finally moved on enough from the trauma that she could have a normal life again. They spent the afternoon with John and his wife, where there were more presents to open and more food to be had, and by the time they had gotten back home the two of them were completely full and very happy to be by themselves again.

The next morning Sherlock had been woken up by a phone call from his brother. He had left the room to take it and not wake Molly up, but in the end she had come out while he was still talking to Mycroft. He hung up and looked at her. “Bad news, I take it?” she asked as she looked up from the coffee she had started to make.

“He needs me to leave London for a bit to look into something,” he said with a sigh. “I have to leave this evening and I have no clue when I'll be back.”

“I can be alone for a bit, you know,” she said with a teasing smile. “I mean, I used the knives yesterday. I think I'll do okay on my own now.”

“I know, but I wanted to be here for New Year's and I don't think that will happen,” he said, moving into the kitchen. “From the sounds of things this will take some time. Anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Possibly a few months.”

“Well, that's not going to be fun for you,” she said, turning to face him more. When he got close enough she placed her hands on his chest. “I'll just have to make sure you have something very nice to think about while you're gone.”

He grinned down at her, settling his hands on either side of her waist. “And just what were you planning on doing?” he asked.

“I have a few ideas,” she said with a smile, sliding her hands up so she could put her arms around his neck. She leaned in to kiss him when his phone began to ring again. “Ignore it,” she murmured.

“I had planned to,” he said before he kissed her. The ringing continued for a moment, and then stopped. Then it began to ring again a moment later and he pulled away from the kiss, hanging his head. “I think I need to take that,” he said before pulling away from her.

“I'll go back to making the coffee,” she said with a sigh.

He glanced at his phone and saw it was Lestrade. “What is it?” he asked tersely.

“Hello to you too, Sherlock,” Lestrade said after a moment's pause. “I need your help on a case.”

“I have to leave town this evening and I don't know when I'll be back,” he said. “What type of case is it, exactly?”

“Suspicious suicide that I'm not entirely sure is a suicide. Look, if you give me something to start with I can try and solve it without you. Mostly I just need to know if it really is a suicide or not.”

“Do you need me right this moment?” he asked.

“Not this instant, but soon. Maybe a half hour or so at most? The family wants us all to go away.”

“I'll be there as soon as I can. Where do I need to be?”

Lestrade rattled off an address. “So you'll be here soon?”

“I'll be there soon,” he said. He hung up and looked at Molly, who was already pulling out a travel mug. “It's going to be one of those days, I think.”

“I could go with you, you know,” she said. “That way I can help Greg while you're gone.”

He grinned at her. “That actually isn't a bad idea. It's a suicide that Lestrade isn't sure is a suicide.”

“Then having a former pathologist there will be a big help,” she said with a grin of her own, setting down the one mug and pulling down another. “Go get dressed. I'll make our coffee and then I'll get dressed myself.”

He nodded, going over and giving her a quick kiss before heading to their bedroom and changing. He was almost finished when she came in and began to get dressed, and he definitely took the time to appreciate the view. He didn't know how long this case from Mycroft was going to keep him away from home, and he wanted to savor as much time with Molly as possible, keep as many memories of her as close as he could. But soon enough she was dressed and they went into the kitchen to get their coffees and then they were off.

They arrived at the upscale home thirty-five minutes after he got off the phone with Lestrade. He met them at the door. “The husband wants us out in five minutes,” he said.

“Take me to the body,” Molly said, setting her coffee down outside as Sherlock did the same.

“In the bathroom,” he said with a nod. The three of them went inside and Sherlock noted that the man he assumed was the husband looked quite cross as opposed to bereft with grief, as the children were. He supposed it could be because he was angry that she had been selfish and left him alone with children to care for, but that might not be the reason. They went upstairs and Lestrade opened up the door. Molly looked from the doorway as she put on a set of gloves, then stepped inside. The woman was in a tub filled with water and stained red with blood. She examined the woman without moving her at first, looking at her wrists. Then she leaned over and opened up the woman's eyes and opening up her mouth. Finally she stood up. “Well?” he asked.

“Call a crime scene photographer and alert the pathologist he needs to do an autopsy before the body is released,” she said. “This was staged.”

Sherlock grinned as Lestrade looked at her wide eyed. “How do you know?”

“It's all in her wrists and her mouth. If she slit her own wrists they shouldn't be so clean and there most likely would be hesitation marks. You don't get that much blood slitting your wrists that way, either. Also, her mouth is too dry for someone who died of self-inflicted wrist wounds. When the pathologist gets here make sure he takes the time to examine her stomach contents. My professional guess would be she was drugged, placed in the tub and someone else slit her wrists before adding more blood to the water. I would bet it's not even human blood. If you tried to type it you'd find it's animal blood of some type. Don't pull the sample from the water, though. Pull it from the side of the tub.”

Lestrade looked at her with a sense of awe. “Are you sure we can't get you to go back to your old job?”

She shook her head. “I don't have any desire to do that again, Greg, even if I can pick up a knife again. I want to teach. But I'll help Sherlock as often as I can. And while he's gone I can help out a bit.” She stripped off her gloves and moved back to them. “Can we go back home now? I don't get all that much time with him today before he has to leave.”

Lestrade nodded. “Of course,” he said. “And congratulations about being able to use a knife again.”

“Thank you,” she said with a grin. She leaned over and kissed his cheek before she left his side. “Belated Happy Christmas. I have presents for you when you get some free time to see me, or I can bring them to the Yard tomorrow.”

“Bring them to work. I spend more time there than anywhere else.” He grinned at the two of them. “Enjoy the rest of your day. I'll see you whenever you get home, Sherlock.”

He nodded towards Lestrade. “I'll let you know when I return.” With that he and Molly made their way back downstairs and then left the home, picking up their coffees on the way out. “You were quite impressive.”

“If you handle enough actual suicides you can spot faked ones fairly easily,” she said with a slight shrug. “But thank you for the compliment.”

“I think Lestrade will be in good hands while I'm gone,” he said. Once they passed the gate separating the home from the pavement he reached over for her hand. “So we have at least a few more hours to spend together and we're already outside of home. What do you want to do?”

“We could go get breakfast,” she said. “Do you need to pick anything up before you leave?”

He thought for a few moments. “Since I don't know how long I will be gone there are probably a few things I need to get.”

“Then we'll eat, go pick those things up and head home,” she said. “I want to spend as much time alone with you as I can before you have to leave.”

“I could agree to that,” he said with a nod.

“Is it dangerous, what your brother is asking you to do?” she asked quietly.

“It might be. He's hoping it won't be, though.” She tightened her grip on his hand and he stopped, looking at her. “I'll be careful, I promise. I won't let any harm come to me.”

“You can't promise that,” she said.

“Then I promise I will do my best not to get harmed.” He looked at her intently. “Eventually I have a wedding to attend as the groom. I want to make sure I come back for that in one piece.”

“I want you to come back healthy and whole too,” she said quietly.

He let go of her hand and stepped closer to her. She looked up at him and he touched her face gently. “I'm thinking I should ask my brother to pull a few strings today,” he said quietly.

“What kind of strings?” she asked.

“The type that would allow us to get married today,” he replied.

Her eyes went wide. “You actually want to do it today?”

“Only if you want to. If you want to wait we can.”

She thought for a moment, and then shook her head. “If he can do it then we should. I mean, just in case...” she trailed off her thought and shook her head to clear the thought away. “Call him.”

He nodded and moved his hand away. He handed her his coffee and reached into his coat pocket for his phone. He pulled it out and pulled up his brother's contact before hitting send. Mycroft picked up on the third ring. “Don't tell me you're having second thoughts, Sherlock,” he said.

“I want to add a condition to our agreement,” he said.

“We'll see what the condition is.”

“Molly and I want to get married. Today. You make that happen and I'll do this and stay gone as long as you need me to.”

Mycroft was quiet for a few moments. “Give me an hour. Two at most. I will let you know what you need to do in order for that condition to be fulfilled.”

“Thank you,” Sherlock said, and at that point Mycroft hung up and he lowered his phone. “He will contact us in an hour or two and let us know what we need to do.”

“I can't believe we're actually going to do it,” she said with a smile. “I mean, we were going to eventually and all that, but...today. We're getting married _today_.”

“I just apologize it's being done so quickly,” he said, taking his coffee from her. “That you don't get to do this properly. It appears we don't do anything properly when it comes to this relationship.”

“I'm fine with that, Sherlock. I really am.” She reached over for his hand again. “We can always do it properly in front of everyone else later. You know, with you dressed up and me in the dress and the attendants and all of it. But I want to get married today. I don't want you to go away and us not to be married.”

“All right then,” he said with a nod. He looked over at her. “We should probably still get something to eat. It doesn't do either of us any good if we can't concentrate because we're hungry.”

She chuckled. “Okay. You pick where we go eat.”

“I know just the place.” He moved over to the curb and hailed them a cab. He gave the driver an address and they settled in for the ride, chatting as they drove. Finally they pulled up in front of a bakery and got out. “Do you remember the morning I surprised you with the fresh scones in bed?” he asked.

She nodded. “This is where you got them?”

“Yes. It's closer to your old home than ours, so I don't go here often, but this is the place. They have more than just scones, though. And they have actual breakfast here as well.”

“I can't wait to try it.” She gave him a smile before they made their way in. He watched her look around at the people dining there, and then she turned to the menu. She looked over everything and when it was their turn she placed her order and he placed his. They sat down at a table and waited. “I may make it a point to come here more often if I like the food. This isn't that far away from the university where I'll be teaching.”

“I hadn't realized that,” he said with a grin. The person at the counter had refilled their travel mugs with coffee and so he took a sip. “Have you finally finished reading all the textbooks?”

“Almost,” she said as she finished fixing her new cup of coffee. “I misplaced one and I can't seem to find it, so I need to order another copy and read that. But I have ideas for the four classes I'll be teaching of what I want to use from each textbook. I'm trying to pick one for each class, but one of the classes is going to need a workbook and another one has good information from two separate books. I'm hoping I don't give anyone back problems in that class because both books are heavy. I'll be trying my best to only make them bring one book at a time to class.”

“You'll be a more considerate professor than many of mine were,” he mused.

“Try going to school as long as I did,” she said, shaking her head. “I'm surprised more of us don't have back problems the minute we get out of school.”

“Do you think you're going to have any trouble being a professor?” he asked.

“I hope I don't. I think I remember enough of what I disliked about university to make sure I don't make my students have to relive my experiences. I'm rather hoping I can be the cool professor.”

“Somehow I think that you stand a very good chance of that happening,” he said with a chuckle.

“I'm going to miss you,” she said, her smile fading slightly. “I've gotten so used to you being here and then you won't be here and I won't know when you're coming back.”

“But I will be coming back,” he said. “I can promise you that much.”

“I know,” she said. “But I'm still going to miss you quite a bit.”

“I'm going to miss you as well. I'm just sorry we won't be able to spend much time together today. You deserve more time with me on our wedding night.”

“You can just make it up to me when you get home,” she said, giving him a wider smile. “And don't think I won't hold you to that.”

“I'm sure you will,” he said with a chuckle. “Why don't we talk about something else?”

“All right,” she said as she nodded. They talked about other things, and soon their food came and they ate. By the end of their meal Sherlock's text message alert went off. “Is that your brother?” she asked with surprise as he pulled his phone out of his coat pocket.

He nodded once he got the phone out. “He told us to be at his home in an hour. It would be taken care of there.”

“That's incredibly quick. You only called him less than an hour ago,” she said as she glanced at the watch on her wrist. “Will it take us that long to get to his home?”

“No. Perhaps we can walk around a bit, see what else there is around here.” He stood up, as did she, and they made their way outside. They walked around the neighborhood for a bit, and he found he was slightly nervous. Molly had met Mycroft before, but not since they began living together. He wasn't sure whether his brother approved of their relationship or the speed with which it had evolved, and he found he didn't want his brother to do or say anything that would make Molly regret her decision to agree to marry him today. He hailed them a cab thirty minutes later and once they were inside he held her hand tightly. Neither of them spoke, and he was not sure how he should feel about that.

They arrived at his home a little under a half hour later, and Sherlock let go of her hand and got out first. Once Molly was out he reached over for her hand again, and once he was holding it they made their way to the door. They were almost to the door when it opened. Sherlock recognized that it was Mycroft's assistant Anthea. She nodded to them. “Your brother needs to talk to you alone for a moment. I'm to go take care of Molly. He's in the study.”

Sherlock nodded, looking over at Molly. “I'll rejoin you shortly,” he said.

“All right,” she said with a smile before letting go of his hand.

She stepped inside and he followed. Anthea led her in the opposite direction of the study, and he squared his shoulders and made his way to the study. His brother was sitting behind his desk, and he looked up when Sherlock entered the room. “Sherlock,” Mycroft said with a nod.

“Mycroft,” he said.

“You'll be getting married in the next hour. I know you are not religious, so it took some time to find someone who could perform a civil ceremony. I also know that while this is rushed your fiancée should at least wear something resembling a wedding dress on her wedding day. My assistant is handling that.”

Sherlock was rather surprised he was actually putting some consideration into it. “Thank you,” he said quietly, taking off his coat.

“Did you know when I first met John I tried to bribe him to spy on you?” Mycroft asked.

“He mentioned that,” Sherlock said with a nod as he got closer. He draped his coat over the back of one chair and then sat in the other chair that sat across from his brother's desk.

“I attempted to do the same with Molly. She actually laughed in my face.” Sherlock began to get angry and Mycroft held up a hand. “This was long before the two of you began a relationship. When she first started working at St. Bart's and you began using her to procure bodies for your experiments.” Sherlock relaxed at that point. “I've always admired that about her. I could have made her quite rich by now if she had agreed. But she said you deserved to live your own life without my interference.”

“She is quite an intelligent woman,” Sherlock said with a slight grin.

“Yes, she is.” Mycroft studied his brother carefully. “I never thought I would see you in love. I never thought I would ever see you want to spend your life with someone else. I always thought you would be alone until your death. Perhaps you would have friends, perhaps not. But, in the end, you would die alone.”

“And now?” Sherlock asked, tilting his head slightly.

“And now I envy you,” Mycroft said simply. “She is a good woman. Probably far better than you deserve. But you are an exceptionally lucky man in that she loves you regardless.”

“I'm glad you have no objections to our marriage,” Sherlock said as he relaxed even more.

“I had not anticipated it being quite so rushed, but I knew it would happen sooner rather than later. Nothing about your relationship has been typical, and I think that is a good thing. You are a different man now, and I honestly think you are a better one.” His brother looked back at the papers in front of him. “I know she is worried about you, but rest assured you do not need to be worried about her. I will make sure no harm comes to her while you are gone. After all, she will be family, and I try my best to always protect my family.”

Sherlock nodded but stayed quiet. As it stood, this made him feel much better about leaving. With Mycroft basically able to spy on anyone anywhere he would indeed feel she was safer if he was keeping an eye out for her. And he had the feeling if she asked he would tell her how he was doing as well. The two men stayed in comfortable silence until there was a knock on the door. Mycroft looked up and Sherlock turned his head. Anthea walked in, carrying two flowers that were clipped down. Sherlock noticed she had changed into a very nice dress. “He's here, and she's ready,” she said, handing the two flowers to Mycroft. Sherlock could see they were white roses.

Mycroft nodded. “Very well,” he said as he stood. Sherlock stood as well. “Bring him into the parlor, and then go get Molly.” She nodded and left the room, and Mycroft came from around the desk. “Any last thoughts on being a bachelor, dear brother?”

Sherlock grinned slightly. “To be honest, I'm rather glad I won't be one after this. That's the only thought I have.”

“I'm sorry there aren't more witnesses than just myself and Andrea,” he said.

“So that's her real name?” Sherlock asked.

“Yes. Do not spread that information around. She still needs to use her code name in public, even around your friends.” He put one of the roses in the button hole on his suit, then handed the other one to Sherlock, who did the same. “Let's not keep them waiting too long.”

Sherlock nodded. “All right.” The two men walked out of the study and went to the parlor. There was a man standing there, and Sherlock supposed he was going to be the man to officiate the ceremony. He gave Sherlock a smile and then held out his hand. “I take it you're performing the ceremony,” Sherlock said as he shook his hand.

“Yes,” the man said with a nod. “It's all a bit short notice, but not the first time I've had to do this. Considering it is not a religious ceremony, I think it might be best if the two of you say your own vows. I've already spoken to Molly and she agreed it was best as well. It doesn't need to be very long, but it should be from the heart. I think she would appreciate it.”

Sherlock nodded, though he began to feel nervous. The man nodded for him to move to his right, and he stood there with Mycroft on the other side of him. He was anxious to see what Molly looked like and very nervous as to whether he'd actually be able to say anything when it was his turn to speak. He shut his eyes as he waited for the parlor doors to reopen, trying to get his nerves under control. Normally he was calm and collected, but when it came to Molly he found that wasn't always the case. He just didn't want to disappoint her today.

Finally the doors opened and his eyes opened as well. Anthea stepped through first, and after a moment Molly stepped in beside her. Sherlock knew he was gaping but he couldn't help it. She looked absolutely exquisite right now. She had on a white sleeveless dress that was floor length in the back and to her knees in the front. The neckline was low but not too low, and she had on a necklace that Sherlock recognized as one of his mother's, a diamond and sapphire necklace with large stones in the center and smaller stones as it made its way up to her neck. Her hair was pulled back into some sort of twist and when she turned to look at Anthea he could tell it was held in place with a jeweled comb. She held a bouquet of white roses in her hands. Finally she turned back to him and caught his expression. She blushed slightly but gave him a warm smile, and he couldn't help but grin back.

She made her way up to the men. Mycroft nudged Sherlock forward slightly, and when Molly made it to him she stood next to him. She handed her bouquet to Anthea and then turned to look at him. “You look exquisite,” he said quietly.

“Thank you,” she said, her blush deepening. “You don't look that bad yourself.”

The man officiating the ceremony cleared his throat and the two of them reluctantly stopped looking at each other and turned to him. “I know this isn't a typical ceremony, and you two don't have much time before you're going to be separated, so we'll make this brief. I'll say a few words and then I'm going to have the two of you say whatever you want as vows, and then I'll say a few more words, and then there will be the exchanging of rings and you'll officially be married.”

Molly's eyes widened. “We don't have our rings!”

“No, you do,” Mycroft said soothingly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two familiar cases. He opened one of them before handing it to Sherlock and then he handed the other to Molly.

“Do I want to know how you got them?” Sherlock asked his brother, raising his eyebrow.

Mycroft shook his head. “There were only limited places you would hide them. Mrs. Hudson guessed right off the bat,” he said. “She would have stayed but she had a prior commitment elsewhere. But she wanted to make sure you had these rings because they were the ones you had picked out for yourselves.”

“We'll have to thank her later,” Molly said with a smile as she opened her case, seeing Sherlock's ring in it. She closed the case and handed it to Anthea, and after a moment Sherlock handed his case to Mycroft. She reached over for Sherlock's hands as she turned to face him, giving him a wide smile. “Are you ready?” she asked.

He nodded. “I am.”

“Good,” she said before turning her attention to the man performing the ceremony. He, on the other hand, only gave him part of his attention. He was still trying to figure out what to say to Molly as his vows. He wanted to make it something she remembered, something she held close while he was gone. Soon the man was done speaking and he nodded to Molly. She squeezed his hands once, and then ran her thumb over his knuckles. “When we first met, you tried to make me think you worked for Scotland Yard. I almost fell for it. But in the end I caught you in a lie and then I knew the truth, that all you did was consult. I would have caught you sooner if I hadn't been mesmerized by how attractive you were. That was what started the crush.”

She looked down at their hands. “For years you did treat me poorly, and everyone I knew said I should have let go of the silly crush. But I always had hope that, given the right circumstances, you would change. And I was right. After the fall, after you had to leave, we got close. I found that the crush had gotten deeper because I could see how you were changing, how you were becoming the good man that Greg had thought you could be. And you needed me. First you had needed my expertise in surviving the fall, and then you needed me to help keep your sanity, to keep you connected, while you were gone. It felt nice that you needed me, but it also didn't feel quite right.”

She was quiet for a moment and then she looked up at him, a wide smile on her face. “When we began living together to catch that killer, I saw a whole other side of you. I saw you let your guard down, and you treated me with kindness and respect. The night of the party, I never expected you to tell me you fancied me. But when you did I felt my heart burst. When I realized you needed me to be with you in a relationship because you _wanted_ a relationship with me, then it all felt right. And even with the danger and the trauma and all of it, I wouldn't change anything about our relationship. Not a single month, not a single day, not a single minute. I am the happiest I've ever been, and a large part of that is all because of you. I love you, Sherlock Holmes, and I want to love you until the day I die.”

Sherlock's thoughts were swimming at that point. The sheer amount of love in her words astounded him, and he wondered what he had ever done to deserve it. He knew he would cherish those words forever. He looked down at their hands and grasped hers tighter. “I never thought I would feel love,” he said finally. “I thought I would shelve all of the emotions that I thought made people weak and never miss them at all. When I first met you I thought you were an obstacle to overcome. But you wore on me, ground me down. You made me acknowledge that you were worthy or respect and admiration, and after a while I began to give it to you.”

He looked at her now, studying her face, hoping he said the right words for her. “You have changed me. I know that my experience away changed me, but you did as well. Your friendship, your trust, your faith...that got me through hard times. While I initially didn't want you involved in the plan to trap the killer I realized after the night on the roof during the party that the whole ruse had given me more than I could have anticipated. It gave me hope that I wouldn't spend the rest of my life alone as a living breathing robot. When you were hurt I panicked because I wasn't ready to lose you when we still had so much more time. But you pulled though, and you said you wanted to stay, and that was the moment I stopped worrying that all of it was going to fall apart.”

He shut his eyes for a moment, trying to figure out how to say the most important part. When he thought he'd gotten it mostly sorted he opened his eyes again. “You saved me, Molly. You saved me from a life of being bitter and alone. You saved me and you'll keep saving me. And I want to make sure I save you when needed, from whatever old life you would have had. I want to make sure we have each other for quite a long time, that we want to be together for quite a long time. And I want to make sure I make you happy. I hope you will let me do this. I do love you, Molly Hooper, and I'll make sure I tell you that every day I can.”

Anthea offered up a handkerchief to Molly, who looked like she was about to cry. Molly let go of his hands and took it, dabbing it at the corner of her eyes. He relaxed. She would not have gotten so emotional if he had said the wrong thing. When she was done she gave him the widest smile he had ever seen cross her face. The man performing the ceremony began to talk again, but this time Sherlock was fairly sure neither of them were giving the man their full attention. Finally Mycroft nudged him slightly and Sherlock turned. “The rings,” he murmured, handing Sherlock Molly's ring. Sherlock took it out of the case and handed the case back to Mycroft. Sherlock turned to Molly and saw she had done the same with his ring.

“All right. Slip the ring on your partner's finger and say 'With this ring, I thee wed.' When that's done, I will now pronounce you man and wife. Molly, you start.”

Molly nodded, and Sherlock held up his left hand. Molly slipped the ring on his ring finger, pushing it all the way down. “With this ring, I thee wed,” she said with a smile as she looked up at him.

He lowered his hand, and then picked hers up. He took the ring and slipped it on the same finger as her engagement ring. He pushed it down until it rubbed up against the other ring. “With this ring, I thee wed,” he said quietly, gazing at Molly.

“Then I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the man said with a wide grin. “You may kiss the bride.”

Sherlock and Molly each took a step closer, and Sherlock reached over for her waist to pull her close as she wound her arms around his neck. He leaned in and kissed her softly, but after a moment she pressed closer and deepened the kiss for a moment before pulling away. “That was a very nice kiss,” she said with a wide smile on her face.

“Yes, it was,” he said, not letting her go yet. He ran a hand up and down her back. “Congratulations, Mrs. Holmes.”

“Congratulations yourself, Mr. Holmes,” she said with a chuckle, moving her hands to caress his cheek.

“There is still paperwork to fill out,” Mycroft said, and the two of them pulled apart. “I will file it for the both of you. Sherlock, you do not need to depart until the morning. I did not think it was fair to deprive you of at least one night with your wife. There is a room for you at a very nice hotel for the night. Tomorrow morning you can go home and pack and then depart at ten. I have sent over the clothes Molly arrived in so she doesn’t ruin her dress.”

“Thank you, Mycroft,” Sherlock said with a tinge of gratefulness in his voice.

“Yes, thank you so much,” Molly said, moving away from Sherlock to hug Mycroft. Mycroft was surprised at first, but after a moment he awkwardly embraced her back. “Let's get the paperwork done so we can go have the shortest honeymoon ever,” she said when she pulled away, though she was smiling as she said it. The five of them moved back into the study, where the paperwork was waiting. There were multiple signatures needed, and finally it was all done. Sherlock had honestly been surprised it was all done so quickly, but he was quite grateful as well.

Mycroft said a car was waiting for them outside to take them to the hotel, and when they got in and had privacy she turned to him. “That went very well,” he said quietly as they got settled.

“I can't believe we're actually married,” she said, setting her head on his shoulder. “And that they got so much done in such a short time.”

“I am surprised as well, but very thankful for it,” he said as he put an arm around her shoulders. “They didn't need to do that.”

“No, they didn't.” She snuggled in more next to him. “Andrea said that this necklace and the comb belonged to your mother.”

“I recognized the necklace but not the comb,” he said with a nod. 

“I was told they're mine to keep now,” she said. “Something about how Mycroft was supposed to give them to a woman he fancied but he thought I would appreciate them more. Did you ever get anything to give to a woman?”

“No, but I'm the second son who repressed emotions from a young age. No one ever expected me to get married. With Mycroft it was supposed to be done as a duty to continue the family name.”

“I suppose that falls to us now,” she said, lifting her head up to smile at him. “We'll just have to practice until we get it right.”

He grinned back. “There is something to practicing until you get the desired results.”

“We should start tonight,” she said with a nod.

He looked at her. “Do you want to get pregnant soon?” he asked quietly.

“I had wanted to wait until after we were married. Since we're married we can start tonight. I mean, you know I went off birth control last month and we've been using other means to keep me from getting pregnant. We don't have to keep doing that. Unless you want to keep doing it, I mean. It's up to you.”

“The idea of you pregnant with my child makes me quite happy,” he said, moving a hand to trace patterns on her abdomen. “If it happens tonight then I have no objections to that. And if we have to wait to try again when I return then so be it.”

“Good.” He looked up at her and then he moved his hand to cup her cheek gently. “I feel incredibly lucky right now. Happy and fulfilled, too,” she said as she shut her eyes and leaned into his hand. “You?”

“I feel content. A level of contentment I have not felt since you said you would marry me, like a bone deep satisfaction.” He ran his thumb along her cheekbone. “I do love you, Molly. Very very much,” he murmured.

“I love you too, Sherlock,” she said quietly, leaning forward. He met her halfway in the kiss, and it quickly turned passionate. The only thing keeping them from escalating, he thought, is that neither of them wanted to look less than presentable when they reached their destination. But they could be passionate without making themselves unpresentable. Finally after quite a bit of time they reached their destination: The May Fair. Molly's eyes were wide when they stepped out. “I should really thank your brother profusely for this,” she said in a tone of awe.

“This was much more than I expected,” he said with a nod. The two of them went inside the lobby to the front desk. The woman there looked up and gave them a smile. “Holmes. It's either under Sherlock or Mycroft,” he said.

She looked down at her computer. “Sherlock Holmes,” she said with a smile. “You have our best room reserved for the night. There was also an envelope left for you, as well as luggage in the room.” She moved away from them to a safe and opened it, pulling out an envelope. She shut and locked the safe again and then handed the envelope to Sherlock. “This was left by the people who brought your luggage.”

Sherlock took the envelope and nodded. “Thank you.”

“Let me get you your key,” she said. After a few moments she handed them a key card. “Enjoy your stay here. And congratulations.” 

“Thank you,” Molly said with a smile. They moved away from the counter and Sherlock looked at the envelope. It had their room number on it, as did the key card, and he opened it up. Inside was some money, more money than he had seen in quite a while. There was also a note to spend as little or as much tonight as they wanted but it was all theirs to keep. She was looking over his shoulder and when he glanced at her he saw her eyes were wide. “That’s…a lot of money,” she said quietly.

“It’s probably the most practical wedding gift we could get,” he said, closing the envelope again. “And it will come in handy. Shall we go to our room?”

She nodded. “I’d like that.” They made their way to the lift and went up to their floor. It took them a few minutes to find their room, but when he opened the door and they stepped inside he had to admit even he was impressed. Molly’s eyes were even wider than they were earlier when she had seen the contents of the envelope. “Oh, this is beautiful,” she said breathlessly.

“It is very nice,” he said with a nod. He watched her move around the room, taking it all in as he draped his coat over the back of a nearby chair. He owed his brother quite a bit, he realized. When she turned back to him he saw she had a wide grin on her face and looked quite excited. “We don't actually have to leave this room, you know,” he said with a grin.

She moved over to a table and reached behind her, undoing the clasp of the necklace and setting it on the table. Then she reached up and pulled the comb out from her hair. It spilled down around her shoulders and then she set the comb down next to the necklace. “Well, I would like to go get food at some point. But I can wait until dinner. Right now I just want time alone with you.” She moved over to him and stepped close. “If tonight is the only actual honeymoon I get then I want to do as much as I can with you before you have to go,” she said as she slid her arms up around his neck.

“Are you happy to be married?” he asked, running a hand up and down her back.

“Of course I am,” she said with a smile. “Are you happy to be married to me, Sherlock?”

“Very much,” he murmured with a slight nod. “Probably more than I can put into words.”

“Then you can just show me,” she said quietly before she kissed him. He kissed her back, and after a moment he felt her relax completely against him. He was going to miss this more than he wanted to admit, and he wanted to savor it as much as he could. After a few minutes he moved his hand up to the top of her dress, finding the zipper. He pulled it all the way down and then ran his hand back up her bare back. She pulled away from the kiss and looked at him. “Did you know your brother has all sorts of useless information on both of us on file somewhere?” she asked with a smile.

“I know he had that for me,” he said with a slight frown, unsure of the turn the conversation was taking. “Why is that important?”

“Because for some reason he had all the sizes of clothing I wear on file,” she said with a widening grin as she lowered her arms. “ _All_ of them. Though Anthea assured me she picked out what I was wearing under the dress.”

It took a moment for him to comprehend her meaning and then he grinned. “So you're wearing different undergarments than I watched you put on this morning.”

She nodded. “Probably the nicest set of lingerie I've ever owned. Strapless bra, knickers, garter belt, garters and thigh high stockings. And you've never seen them before.”

“This is going to be interesting,” he said.

“I thought it might be. Why don't you finish taking the dress off and have a look?”

He nodded and then carefully lowered the strap on one side of the dress, pausing to sweep her hair to the side and press a kiss to the side of her neck. She tilted her head back slightly as he moved his lips to her collarbone, and then onto her shoulder as he lowered the strap more. She pulled her arm away and he did the same on the other side until the dress fell lower and pooled at her feet. He took a step back and looked at her. “She has very good taste,” he said approvingly.

Molly laughed. “And now you get to take it all off of me.”

“Yes, I suppose I do,” he said with a nod. He pulled her close again and reached for the clasp of her bra, undoing it after a moment, and then she pulled away from him. She let it fall down to the floor before she stepped in close. “I should probably at least get down to a similar state first before we go any further,” he said as he ran a hand up her back again.

“Oh, good point,” she said, smiling. She moved her hands up and then pushed his suit jacket off of his shoulders. He removed his hand from her back and shrugged out of the jacket as she began to work on the buttons of his shirt. When she got all of the buttons undone she pulled his shirt up and got the rest done. “You get to do the cuffs. I hate doing those.”

He grinned and began to undo the cuffs on each side. Soon he got them undone and she pushed the shirt off his shoulders. He finished the job quickly and then moved towards her again. He knelt down and picked her up, and she laughed slightly. “There should have been carrying over a threshold,” he said after a moment. “I apologize.”

“It's all right,” she said, putting her arms around his neck. “You can do it tomorrow if I go home with you in the morning, and if not you can do it later.”

He nodded and carried her into the bedroom part of the suite. The bed was quite large and he placed her down upon it carefully. She propped herself up on her elbows slightly, looking at him seductively. “This is a memory I plan on keeping close while I'm gone,” he said as he moved over to her again.

“I think I'll be doing the same,” she said with a nod before crooking a finger at him. “This time and however many more we can squeeze in before we drop of exhaustion.”

He chuckled at that and then he went up to the bed. He wanted to take his time right now, he realized. He started with the garter belt and garters, unclipping them from the belt and then moving them up slightly so he could peel one of the stockings off her legs, then the other. Then he carefully pulled each garter off, letting his hands linger a bit against her skin as he did. She tilted her head back slightly, a contented smile on her face. He let his hands go back up to the belt, and she lifted her hips up. He pulled them and her knickers down until she was completely nude. “As much as I appreciate the lingerie I appreciate this sight more,” he said in an almost reverential tone.

She blushed slightly. “You get to see it for the rest of your life,” she said quietly.

“I know. But there will never be a day when I don't appreciate it.” He stripped out of the rest of his clothing and joined her on the bed, covering her with his body. She moved her hands up to his back, moving her hand up and down before she moved the top hand to the back of his neck to pull him in for a kiss. He made sure it was a thorough and leisurely kiss, and after a moment he let his hand drift down, skirting her waist. He only pulled away from the kiss a few minutes later, beginning to make his way down her body, savoring every inch of her he could. She arched beneath him, moaning softly when he kissed or nipped sensitive bits of skin. The fact that he could do that, that he could illicit those sounds from her, filled him with a sort of feeling he usually never felt, like he could do anything, take on anyone, and come out victorious at the end.

He made his way even lower, and after a moment he kissed her in the most sensitive spot. This time her moan was louder. She had instructed him in exactly what she liked, and he used those lessons well, teasing her with his tongue and fingers until she was breathing hard and writhing beneath him. He felt her tighten around his fingers as her breath hitched and a low moan escaped from deep in her throat. When she was done he pulled away from her, moving to cover her again. She looked up at him. “You know, you do that quite well,” she said, a contented smile on her face.

“I had good instruction,” he said with a chuckle. “You saw to that.”

“Further proof I am a good teacher,” she said, reaching up to touch his face.

“You are an excellent teacher,” he murmured before kissing her again. She framed his face in her hands, and she kissed him with an increasing passion. After a moment they shifted positions slightly, and he positioned himself before thrusting into her. She pulled away from the kiss and tilted her head back as he pulled out again, and when he thrust again she retaliated by digging her nails into his shoulders. He wanted to take his time, but his own need was too great, and the rhythm they had was quicker than he would have liked. Soon he felt her tighten around him again and then she came apart, and that was all it took for him to join her. When they were done they were both breathing hard, and she unclenched her hands, pulling her hands away. “I think you might have left marks,” he teased.

“You like it when I do that,” she said with a chuckle. She moved her hands back to his face. “I feel sated, content and a little sleepy,” she said with a slightly more serious look on her face. “I don't want to be sleepy. I want to be awake as long as I can.”

“We can afford to take a short rest,” he said quietly. “And I can function on very little sleep. If we stay up until early in the morning I'll just sleep on the plane. We have time today.”

“But not enough,” she said softly. “I want you past the morning, but I know that can't happen right now.”

“I will try and come home as soon as I can,” he said. “But for now we can rest together, and spend the rest of the day and the entire evening together.”

She nodded. “All right.”

He pulled away from her and they got off the bed. She pulled the comforter down and slipped into bed. He went around to the other side and got into the bed, pulling her close against him once he was settled. He pressed a kiss to her hair as he locked an arm around her waist. He was not as tired as she was, he realized when she was asleep just ten minutes later. His thoughts whirred in his head, of everything he would need to do to take care of the things his brother needed him to take care of, of plans he and Molly would need to make before he left, of how he could make this all up to her when he got home. Finally he managed to shelve all the thoughts and concentrated on Molly lying beside him and how absolutely right that felt. He loved her very much, very deeply, and this had been the absolute best decision in the world to marry her. And as he finally drifted off to sleep himself, his last thought was that they had the rest of this day together and he was going to make the most of it. He needed to have things to remember during their separation, and he knew that today would be nothing but good memories for him.


End file.
